Welcoming in a frosty week on the wedding blog with a seasonal winter wonderland wedding in the North East, sent to me by my friend – the fabulous – Helen Russell Photography. With lace, lilies and just the right amount of sparkle, this Real Wedding is a whole lot of lovely!

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Over to Leanne: We got engaged in New York in November 2010. It was all very romantic in front of a burning log fire with rose petals and champagne. Chris had reserved an old library type room with very high ceilings and character and had arranged for champagne and flowers to be placed in front of the burning fire and then when we arrived he sat me down and popped the question!

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We were married on 16 December 2011 at St Wilfrids RC Church in Bishop Auckland for the service and then Beamish Hall for our reception. We both love the building and grounds at Beamish Hall as it has a lovely feel to it. We also think the rooms at Beamish are very warm and intimate with perfect scenery. We went for a Christmas winter wonderland vibe with lots of white, silver and crystals, chair covers by Posh Chair Covers & Bows, plus plenty of candles and fairy lights.

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I chose a vintage style dress by the amazing Ian Stuart. To compliment this, my chief bridesmaid wore a long gun metal grey dress and the youngest bridesmaid wore an ivory flower girl’s dress. Both bridesmaids had grey fur shrugs and vintage brooches too. I carried a simple Lily of The Valley bouquet by The Funky Flower Company.

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We went all out and chose a Sex and the City 2 themed cake which consisted of three tiers with Swarovski Crystals in between! So fabulous! Our favours were donations to Cancer Research and cake pops by the brilliant Popcake Kitchen.

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In the evening, we were entertained by a live band, The Monologues and then The Mobile DJ Company. Paul Lytton kept us all guessing with his amazing magic tricks!

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After the wedding we went to a castle for a couple of days on a “mini moon” however we are hoping to go somewhere hot and exotic in the next few months – destination undecided!

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My top tip for other Brides Up North would be to enjoy every minute and absorb it all in as it goes very quickly. Try to just relax and enjoy the whole experience as its magical!